Golf Balls for Player in Brazil

DonkeyPokerTour

Hello Everyone,

It's been a long time since I posted on Boards.ie. I moved to Brazil in December 2011 and since then I have more or less left Boards behind. But hopefully you all won't hold that against me.

In the last while I've gotten back into golf in Brazil, until recently I didn't know that there were any courses within 100km of me, but I found one "just down the road", about 20km from home. I had a friend coming to visit Brazil and they very kindly brought me a set of clubs I had purchased. But then it came time to buy balls and I nearly died when I saw the prices.

Callaway WarBird ~50euro/dozen

Strixon Distance ~75euro/dozen

ProV1 ~105euro/dozen

Inesis 900 (Decathlon) ~60euro/dozen

Even supposedly cheap balls are double the cost that you would pay in Ireland.

As my parents are coming to visit me in September, I figured that I should probably "bulk buy" some balls in Ireland for them to bring over. Im looking for some recommendations in the 30euro a dozen range. I don't tend to loose too many golf balls (normally 1 maybe 2 a round) but I can have bad days where I might lose 4 or 5 so I can't justify paying 50euro or more for Pro V1s/TP5 etc.

In terms of characteristics I prefer a Pro V1/TP5 to a Pro V1x/TP5x, I prefer a white ball and I am looking for something ideally that is quite durable. When I visit Ireland I generally use a TP5 or Pro V1.

Balls Im currently considering:

Strixon AD333 ~27euro/dozen

Bridgestone E6 ~29euro/dozen

Inesis 900 30euro/dozen

Seed Pro X1 29euro/dozen (buying 5 dozen)

I am also open to other suggestions. What would you guys recommend? Any of that list that you would say has bad durability compared to the others?

big_drive

If bulk buying I'd go with the Seed balls. They get good reviews and are close enough to the premium brands

They're the best from that list you have there

charlieIRL

Get your parents to go to sports direct and get Srixon AD333 or Titleist Tru feel balls, they sometime have deals on them

DonkeyPokerTour

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119395201#Comment_119395201

I haven't tried them myself, have you any feed back on durability? Do they cut up badly on a full wedge shot/out of a bunker for example?

DonkeyPokerTour

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119395249#Comment_119395249

My first thought were to buy the AD333, but after seeing Rick Shiels review (https://youtu.be/A9fZYjlm7T4?t=345) he mentioned that it cut up a lot in bunkers. Thats why I thought it better to ask first before buying 5-6dozen

big_drive

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119395878#Comment_119395878

I've used them, found them as good as anything else.

They'd be a similar ball to pro V1, tp5 so a step above the likes of ad33 etc

Seve OB

I’ve used the AD333 for years. Great budget ball.

price gone up a good bit now. Seed about the same price and even if you get the AD333 any cheaper, don’t bother with them.

get the Seed balls. You can mix them up, get a couple of boxes of each of their top line ones. You’ll probably get a free bag of tees or a cap or glove with them

coillcam

@DonkeyPokerTour - you'll do well to find any ball that's able to match the seed ones for price/performance. They match up favourably against any of the top models.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHTi-FXScnc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oxJVYuSsj4

My missus is from Brazil and she took a quick look at some places to buy golf stuff. Very few options and eye-watering prices to say the least. I even checked a US retailer to see what it cost to get a few dozen. The tax/duty to Ireland was $70 but for Brazil, it was $300 on the same items. Looks like everything golf related is considered a luxury import.

Boa sorte cara.

DonkeyPokerTour

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119396721#Comment_119396721

Boa sorte indeed.

Import tax on everything is Brazil is crazy and as you said for Golf stuff it’s basically double the price or more. Crazy.

If anyone has any info on the durability of Seed balls I’d greatly appreciate it. If there similar to TP5 that’s fine but the Z Stars from Strixon cut up really badly so I’d be wary if the seed was anything like them.

coillcam

Most of the durability stuff for me is subjective or anecdotal. Hitting a few shots from a bunker is about as far from a controlled testing environment as it gets. Urethane is soft and makes up a thin layer. It's going to show up with marks sooner rather than later.

Unless it's roughened up a lot, spin/distance should have little to no difference. I've used seed and pro v1s for a couple of rounds no problem. Other times they've been in sh!te after a couple of bunkers. It's quite hard to guage.

dan_ep82

As with most things mileage will vary in terms of durability.

I personally found seed balls to scuff up easily enough but I've had days where ProV's can be similar after 6 or 9 holes

FixdePitchmark

Em...what is Brazil like....

coillcam

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119398638#Comment_119398638

It's hot. Food and locals are nice. More rain than you'd think. Played 5 a-side a few times over there. Everyone is ridiculously handy with the ball.

I only took up golf after the last time I visited. Probably heading next year (Sao Paulo) and hoping to try a few of their courses. It's a much more exclusive sport in Brazil compared to Ireland.

BraveDonut

if you are looking for value - https://www.amazon.co.uk/TaylorMade-Unisexs-TM19-Rocketballz-White/dp/B084DV5JSF?pd_rd_w=kYFVf&content-id=amzn1.sym.f1b1bc68-3e1d-446a-a02a-35878ac4404b&pf_rd_p=f1b1bc68-3e1d-446a-a02a-35878ac4404b&pf_rd_r=JJDNYNYPKA4PD9FSH4V8&pd_rd_wg=TnDB7&pd_rd_r=c099d06a-33b3-4daa-abf9-e327e87fa4ff&pd_rd_i=B084DV5JSF&psc=1&ref_=pd_bap_d_rp_5_i

I found them fine

willabur

depends alot on the course you are playing also. Hard pan, bunker ridden links are going to chew up your golf balls more than a soft parkland (I'm guessing)

slave1

my advice would be to split the balls between bags, the amount of luggage going missing at present is loopy

Snackbox20

I agree with what the guys have said about the seed golf balls, they offer a very good subscription service and they have just released the sd-05 pro soft golf ball. Sports Direct are currently doing an offer on 2 boxes of Srixon AD333 for €45. I know because I have lost a Langer load of golf balls in the last month and need a serious restock.

DonkeyPokerTour

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119398638#Comment_119398638

Much like collicam said is mostly true. But it’s really difficult to say what Brazil is like because it’s sooooo big. I can drive on motorways for 5hours and not leave the state of São Paulo! When my parents come we are going to visit the city of Natal. It’s a 3.5hour flight to get there. Just for fun I put it into Google maps to see how long of a drive it was 40+ hours.

But overall the people are friendly, the food is different but really good. It rains a lot in the summer but almost not at all in the winter. And depending on the time of year you come it can be warm or hot. But I find you actually get colder here than in Ireland. In Ireland everywhere has heating etc here no where has. So if it’s 12degrees outside it’s 12 degrees inside too.

In terms of golf, its much more exclusive and there are far fewer courses than in Ireland. The place near me is one of the cheapest in São Paulo. A weekend morning green fee costs about 40euro and a bucket of range balls costs about 3euro (for 40 balls). The better courses in São Paulo will cost about 80-100euro a for a weekend morning green fee. Equipment is ridiculous expensive so most people have equipment that is more than a few years old.

I’ve been here for 10years now and there are advantages to both Ireland and Brazil. But it’s a nice place to visit.

Thanks to everyone for their replies about the golf balls. I think I’ll go with the seeds or the ad333 if my folks can find them for 45 for 2dozen.

coillcam

@DonkeyPokerTour the country is massive - literally the size of the EU. Hard to grasp for a group of people from a little island in Europe. I remember hearing the stat one day that the distance from the south to the north of Brazil is longer than from Brazil to Canada.

I think you're better off paying a few euro extra for the Seed Pro X1 balls. While the AD3333 are a decent ball the Seed is a step up in performance. The next ship date is 1st August and delivery is typically 1-2 days. I don't work for them btw 😁.

Mushy

For those recommending the seed balls, how long does delivery take?

Seve OB

Only ordered them once but they were probably out within about a week at most

frink

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119408094#Comment_119408094

Ordered 5 boxes yesterday and arrived today

Mushy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119427151#Comment_119427151

Yeah I ordered Monday and got them yesterday, good turnaround in fairness

DonkeyPokerTour

Guys thanks for all the comments.

My parents are on their way this Thursday with 6 dozen Seed balls in the bag.

Very quick delivery, ordered on Friday and they were delivered on Saturday!

looking forward to giving them a try!

coillcam

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119610483#Comment_119610483

Great stuff. They're brilliant balls for the price. If you had the time, I would be very interested to hear a trip report or see pics of the courses you play.